


Hold Me Tight (And Don’t Let Go)

by AeonTheDimensionalGirl



Series: I’ve Got You (You’re Safe Now) [31]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Arthur Knows About Merlin's Magic (Merlin), Canon Era, Caretaking, Caring Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Deviates From Canon, Flogging, Getting Together, Gwaine Was Never Banished (Merlin), Hurt Merlin (Merlin), Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mutual Pining, Non-Graphic Violence, Scared Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Season/Series 03, Snarky Merlin (Merlin), Whipping, Whumptober 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-31
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:07:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,286
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27310198
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AeonTheDimensionalGirl/pseuds/AeonTheDimensionalGirl
Summary: Uther decides to remind Arthur that nobles don’t become friends with peasants.
Relationships: Merlin/Arthur, Merlin/Arthur Pendragon, Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Series: I’ve Got You (You’re Safe Now) [31]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1939345
Comments: 61
Kudos: 644





	Hold Me Tight (And Don’t Let Go)

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Salt](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25773859) by [archaeologist_d](https://archiveofourown.org/users/archaeologist_d/pseuds/archaeologist_d). 



> **PROMPT No 31. TODAY’S SPECIAL: TORTURE**  
>  Experiment | **Whipped** | Left for Dead
> 
> I love **_archaeologist_d_ 's** fic, it's honestly so well fitting to canon that it passes as a missing scene if you ask me. You guys should check it out!

The guards came for Merlin while he was picking up flowers for Arthur’s chambers.

“Merlin of Ealdor” one of them said grimly, “The King has ordered your arrest”

The warlock immediately feared the worst, dropping the small bouquet of lavenders and forget-me-nots in terror and panic.

“Why?” he still asked, praying that his voice didn’t weaver. Merlin had promised Arthur he would flee if his magic ever got discovered-

He needed to know.

“It’s not for sorcery” the other guard said, voice sympathetic.

The raven floundered in relief before frowning in confusion.

“Then-” he swallowed as the first guard came behind him a clasped manacles on his wrists, “Why-?”

“Insubordination” the guard grunted, pushing the secret warlock forward into the castle.

As he was dragged away from the garden, Merlin’s stomach filled with dread.

He had a bad feeling on what was this about.

* * *

The stone of dread in Merlin’s stomach dropped further when they got into the throne room and saw the Crown Prince and the King locked in a furious staring match, only breaking it once the raven was dropped onto his knees in front of the dais.

Uther stared down at him in contempt, and the only reason Merlin didn’t fidget in his spot was because of the fact that he was used to it.

“Sire?” the warlock asked with hesitation, making brief eye contact with Arthur, who’s eyes were shining with well hidden panic.

The King did not say anything nor broke his stare of disdain as he slowly walked down the steps of the dais until he was towering over the raven-

And promptly backhanded Merlin with his gloved hand, the warlock gasping as he felt his cheek and upper lip exploding in pain while his neck twisted in a painful way by the force of the hit.

The raven faintly heard the Crown Prince cry out “FATHER-!” while he panted and blinked to try to keep the tears at bay. Once he sort of recovered, Merlin turned to look at Uther in shock.

“This is what I meant, Arthur” the King said, still looking down at the warlock, “Your servant has absolutely no knowledge of his place in this court”

Breathing heavily, Merlin turned to look at the blond furrowing his brows and silently begging for his dear friend to explain.

“Merlin _does_ know his place” Arthur hissed, “He’s just confused to why he’s here, and since you weren’t saying anything, he felt the need to ask. There was no reason to hit him”

“When you say things like these, I fear the day you become King” Uther said with a low cold voice, “This is because you’ve refused to discipline your manservant”

“I have my own ways of disciplining Merlin, Father” Arthur replied.

“Sending him to the stocks isn’t discipline, Arthur!” Uther yelled, “Do you think me a fool?”

“No-!”

“Then why do you lie to my face?” the King coldly asks, glaring at the blond and the raven, “You send him to the stocks to keep appearances! I’ve seen how you really are with the boy!” he angrily pointed at Merlin, “You act all friendly with him, let him insult you, let him call you things a commoner should not be calling someone of noble blood!”

Uther then took out a small rolled up parchment, unscrolling it-

“Prat” he read out loud, looking up for a moment at his son and then at the servant, who felt himself go still in cold realization, “Turnip-head, cabbage-head, bone-idle toad, clotpole, dollophead, ass, _royal_ ass” he looked up again, giving Merlin a furious stare, “Do I need to go on?”

“Father-” Arthur said, eyes wide with panic, “Father that’s nothing, it’s just in good jest- Merlin also calls me by my titles. He knows when to refer me as ‘Your highness’, ‘Sire’ and ‘My lord’”

But clearly, Uther wasn’t having it. If anything, it made him angrier.

“You are the Prince of Camelot, my heir” the King turned to look at the blond with outrage, “These insults reflect on you and on this kingdom, and this-” he waved at the frozen Merlin, “This ridiculous friendship you’ve formed is a sign of weakness; nobles do not allow such familiarity, especially with a lowly servant”

Merlin curled over himself, hoping to appear as small as possible while also trying to ignore the stinging behind his eyes.

Gods, he hated Uther.

“Father-”

“SILENCE!” the King yelled, “You obviously need to be reminded about your respective places in society” he coolly added, turning to look at the raven once again, “Merlin of Ealdor, I hereby sentence you to be flogged for your insubordination”

Merlin felt like his soul left his body.

Oh-

Oh gods-

“It will be ten lashes today, a night in the stocks, and ten lashes more on the morrow. Salt will be rubbed in after the whipping” Uther continued to say, before turning to a petrified Arthur, “You will carry the sentence”

Both warlock and Crown Prince gasped in horror.

“Father-” Arthur tried to protest again, but Uther raised his hand to cut him off.

“One more word, Arthur, and the boy will receive forty”

Swallowing, Merlin locked eyes with the distressed blond, subtly shaking his head.

 _“It’s alright”_ he whispered in Arthur’s mind, thankful that the mind-speak didn’t betray his terrified state, _“It’s alright, Arthur, it will be alright, I won’t hold it against you”_

The Crown Prince gave him a stricken look, but he hanged his head in defeat.

“Yes, my lord” Arthur said to Uther, who nodded in satisfaction before giving Merlin one more look of disdain as the King’s Knights approached both young men.

“Take him away”

* * *

Merlin was hoping to be brought to the dungeons for the sentence to be carried out, but was further horrified to be taken to the courtyard, where a group of people were gathered around a raised platform that held up a wooden stock.

He knew Uther was doing this to punish Arthur and himself- but this was to be a public humiliation.

For both of them, he numbly realized.

Uther’s Knights forced him onto the platform and onto standing in front of the stock, one of them shoving him to his knees by driving their own knee behind Merlin’s thigh to force him down; his hands were then untied and roughly grabbed and placed on the separate sides of the pillory, the other man pulling his hair and placing it on the middle before bringing down the upper wooden board; his hands chained again.

Merlin thought it was going to begin at any moment, but then saw Sir Hector on the corner of his eyes, the Knight’s hands coming to untie the red neckerchief around his neck, before moving onto the raven’s blue tunic; the older man wrestled the garment off, a difficult action since Merlin was already bound to the stock.

Sir Hector soon lost his patience and forcibly tore the tunic off the warlock, tossing is aside onto a muddy puddle along with the neckerchief.

Small and hesitant footsteps came up from behind, a familiar callused hand placing itself on Merlin’s naked and trembling shoulder.

“I’m sorry” Arthur quietly says, just low enough for the raven’s ears.

“I know” Merlin murmured back, clutching tightly at the wood as best as he can with his chained arms, bracing himself for what’s about to come when Arthur steps away.

The warlock tried not to shake too much in fear, feeling his magic try to calm him down as he tries to ignore the stares from the public; he closes his eyes, holding his breath, waiting.

For a moment, it all falls silent.

Merlin barely catches the whistle of the whip as it swishes through the air-

And the lash immediately lands on his skin.

He does not scream, for the cry dies on his throat; what comes out instead is a strangled gasp as the whip licks at his shoulder like a flame and he tries to remember how to breathe-

_One._

The raven hears the next stroke nearly a fraction too late, but braces himself just in time as the whip slashes against the base of his spine, narrowly avoiding the scar the serket left on him months ago. He pants softly, trying to remember how to breathe while desperately trying to keep from crying out-

_Two._

The whip catches in the middle of his back.

_Three._

Merlin grunts and heaves, whimpering-

_Four._

The fifth and the six caught in between themselves, and the warlock has to bite his lip to avoid having his magic rise to the surface in response to his distress; Merlin can feel his cheeks wet while also feeling the blood run down his spine-

He barely remembers the seven, eight and nine strokes, having come in a rapid sequence as they too fall over the first ones and for a moment the raven’s vision goes white.

By the time the last lash has been delivered, Merlin couldn’t help himself from crying out in pain-

And then he feels the salt being poured onto his back.

Merlin screamed.

* * *

_“-lin?”_

An echoed voice begins to lull him away from unconsciousness.

It’s familiar.

Something tells Merlin that he likes that voice.

_“-ear me?”_

He feels a hand being placed on his cheek, a gentle hold-

_“Merlin?”_

The raven fights against the aching throbbing in his back and the heaviness on his eyelids, finally managing to open them with a little help from his magic.

The first thing to register is that it’s nighttime, the moon high in the sky, her faint moonlight serving as his only torch in the dark.

The second thing he notices is not really a thing, but a person.

Blinking away the blurriness in his eyes, Merlin sees a figure knelt in front of him, dressed and covered in a familiar blue cloak that he had once possessed until he lend it to a prat who never gave it back-

“Arthur?” he croaked, wincing at how weak his voice sounded; it did nothing to deter the joy and relief taking over him when his vision cleared enough to see his dear friend smile at him from under the hood.

“Hi” Arthur murmured back, his thump caressing Merlin’s cheek while his other hand rummaged through a small satchel hanging on his hip. The Crown Prince cursed under his breath, turning around to properly look for whatever the hell he was looking for-

Merlin’s breath hitched when he caught the bruise around Arthur’s eye and cheek.

“What happened to your face?” Merlin mumbled, squinting at the blond.

“Gwaine punched me” Arthur replied as he took out a small jar which the raven recognized to have Gaius’s healing salve.

“… He what” Merlin hissed, flinching when the blond began to apply the salve at the burns on his wrists caused by the manacles.

Huh, the raven didn’t even remember hurting himself there.

“Punched me” Arthur repeated, looking down in shame, “Because I carried the sentence. Also he accused me of finally snapping and becoming like the other nobles”

Merlin sighed.

When he got better, he and Gwaine were going to have some words.

“You know I don’t blame you, right?” Merlin whispered, flinching when he moved and felt the wounds on his back sting, “This wasn’t your fault”

“And yet the guilt plagues me, Merlin” the Crown Prince muttered with a sigh, getting up and rounding the warlock, “Just because you forgive me, it doesn’t mean I have or will forgive myself for hurting you”

“And-” Merlin sucked in a breath when he felt a rag rubbing at the salt on his injuries. He bit his lip to avoid screaming again, “A-And what i-if I order you t-to for-forgive yourself?” he asked between pants, hanging his head as the tears began to run down his cheeks again and his vision went dark-

When he blinked, it was to see Arthur in front of him again, his sapphire eyes bright with worry.

“Sorry” the Crown Prince whispered, “I had to clean the salt from them to apply the salve” he explained in a soft voice while taking out a wineskin from the satchel and placing it on Merlin’s lips for him to drink.

He did so eagerly, he hadn’t even realized how thirsty he was.

“Y-You don’t happen to have food in t-there too, do you?” Merlin murmured once he’s finished.

Arthur laughed lightly, smirking at him before taking out a branch of grapes.

“Will this do, my lord?” the blond asked in a small jesting tone.

Despite feeling like shit, Merlin laughed.

“They will, oh faithful servant of mine” he replied, imitating Arthur’s voice while at it, “Thank you” he added softly.

His dear friend smiled before feeding him the grapes; Merlin trying not to let his lips catch Arthur’s fingers while at it.

Despite his attempts, he did so accidentally a few times, but the blond didn’t seem to mind, nor notice the blush on the raven’s cheeks.

“You don’t have to order me to forgive myself, you know” the Crown Prince mumbled after a small silence, “I don’t think it works that way”

“I will enchant you to forgive yourself” Merlin threatened, making his eyes glow a bit. Arthur glared.

“You don’t have the guts”

“Watch me, sire”

Arthur sighed in exasperation.

“ _Mer_ lin-”

“Arthur-” the warlock began to say, but cut himself off when he felt his wounds throb again, his vision blurring.

Faintly, he was aware of Arthur interlacing their hands together while the cool forehead of the blond pressed itself on Merlin’s slightly feverish one; a free hand caressing his cheek and whipping away his tears once more.

“I’m so sorry” Arthur whispered, tears falling from his eyes as well, “I’m so, so sorry, Merlin-” he chocked.

It goes unsaid between them that on the morrow it will be the same song and dance.

“It-It will be alright” Merlin weakly said, attempting a smile amidst the pain, gripping Arthur’s hand tightly, “It will b-be alright, _fy brenin_ ”

The Crown Prince’s eyes widen briefly, before he let out a watery chuckle and returned the smile Merlin was trying to give.

And he then surprised the raven by raising his head to press a kiss on Merlin’s forehead, looking down at him with tenderness-

“OI!”

Both men gasped in fright they heard footsteps coming near.

Sharing a panicked glance, Arthur withdrew from the hold at the same time Merlin sagged on his spot, biting his lip to avoid crying out again as he pretended to still be unconscious.

He was faintly aware of the Crown Prince feeling from the courtyard, and the warlock sent a small part of his magic to aid on his escape and for him to reach his chambers safe and unnoticed.

A rough hand taps Merlin’s face to check if he’s awake, and the warlock nearly gives himself away when he feels the bruise on his face throb, but by a miracle that might be his own magic, he doesn’t.

The guard or the Knight grunts before leaving him alone.

* * *

Merlin doesn’t remember falling asleep, but the bucket of freezing water being dumped over him brings him to awareness, crying out as the combination of cold water and the salt on his back aggravate his wounds further.

He nearly jumps in fright when he sees it’s Uther who dumped the bucket on him, the King looking outraged. 

“Tell me who visited you yesterday, or there will be twenty more lashes added to the sentence” Uther hissed.

From the corner of his eye, the warlock could see Arthur being held back by the King’s Knights, looking furious as he tried to fight them off.

The physician in Merlin knew that forty lashes were most likely to leave him crippled-

But there was no way in the seven hells he was going to reveal Arthur.

“What?” Merlin asked with practiced confusion.

The King glared at him, unfolding the whip on his hand before walking behind the raven-

“IT WAS ME!” Arthur screamed in panic, “IT WAS ME, FATHER!”

“Is it true that it was my son?” Uther asked from behind.

“N-No” Merlin said, steeling himself as he heard the whip fly though the air-

“MERLIN!” he heard the Crown Prince yell, “MERLIN DON’T BE A FUCKING IDIOT!”

The painful stroke landed like fire once again in the raven’s back, the next ruthlessly following.

Merlin was faintly aware that he was screaming again-

“FATHER!”

Pain-

He was in so much pain-

“DON’T DO THIS, PLEASE-!”

Merlin faints to Arthur’s pleas.

* * *

He comes to consciousness briefly, feeling a pair of arms lifting him from wherever he is-

Merlin managed to open his eyes briefly, feeling his magic frenetic under his skin as it tried to speed up some healing onto his back-

He sees gold-

No, he sees Arthur.

Scarred, desperate-

“’R’th’r” Merlin mumbles, eyes closing as his body throbs with agony, “H-Hold- me-”

“Merlin-” he heard Arthur cry onto his ear as the darkness began to take over, “Please, Merlin- _Fy anwylyd,_ hang on-”

The last thing Merlin felt before falling unconscious was a pair of lips on his own.

* * *

Merlin is lulled to wakefulness by a pair of fingers running through his hair while being held by a strong pair of arms.

And he has no problem recognizing them.

“Arthur” he whispers, hearing a small gasp from above him.

“Merlin”

The Crown Prince’s voice is weak and like a croak.

Merlin fights to open his eyes, but when he does, Arthur’s teary face is what greets him.

“Arthur” he mumbles again, letting himself be pulled into a hug while his dear friend sobs onto his shoulder, whispering more apologizes and explanations to what happened.

Uther ruthlessly delivered the sentence before dumping the entire sack of salt on the warlock, nearly drowning him on it before the Crown Prince pulled him out of the stock and hurriedly brought a nearly dead Merlin to Gaius, who was forced to use some magic on the worst of the lashes on his back.

“This can never happen again” Arthur said, “We need to be careful-”

“I would go through it again” Merlin murmured, cutting him off and not caring for the new tears that were falling from his eyes, “If it means remaining at your side, I would go through it again”

“Merlin-” Arthur whispered, sapphire eyes bright with unshed tears, “Merlin, you would be a walking corpse”

“Worth it” the warlock replied with a small smile, “At least I would still be by your side”

“You’re an idiot” the blond deadpanned, but still ruffled the raven’s hair before cupping Merlin’s face between his hands, eyes tender.

“When I am King” Arthur said softly as he caressed his cheek, “You’ll be free to call me anything you fancy”

“Anything?” Merlin asked, leaning in to the touch with a sigh, closing his eyes for a moment.

“Anything” the blond replied.

The warlock opened his eyes again, smiling as he remembered their moment in the courtyard and his small moment of wakefulness.

“What about-” Merlin bit his lip, feeling nervous, but steeled himself nonetheless, “What about _fy anwylyd_?” he shyly whispered.

Arthur’s eyes widened, his cheeks tinting with red.

“You heard that?” he quietly asked. The raven nodded.

“I did” he admitted, blushing, “And I remember you kissing me, too”

“You were nearly gone” Arthur whispered, “I feared- I had you dying in my arms and I feared-”

Merlin interrupted the blond by kissing him briefly.

“Fear no more” he murmured as he placed his hands on the Crown Prince’s face, “I’m here, _fy brenin_ ”

“ _Cariad_ ” Arthur said softly before kissing him back, “I’ve got you, you’re safe now”

**Author's Note:**

>  _Fy brenin_ = Welsh for 'My king'
> 
>  _Fy anwylyd_ = Welsh for 'My beloved'
> 
>  _Cariad_ = Welsh for 'Love'


End file.
